Film printing machine



April 26, 1932.

A. FLINT ET AL FILM PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21,-1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l efacic (X1590 Asher Zmf INVENTORS Aayzzs Zimmerman ATTORNEY 'April 26, 1932. A FLINT ET AL FILM PRIN'TTNG MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet ads 6 le J 0 INVENTORS Asher/ lint z Z zmmerr/zam fla ya s ATTORNEY Pdented Apr. 26, 1932- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASHER FLINT, AUGUST ZIHl IEBMAN, AND JACK G. LEO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOBS TO FOX FILM CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COBI'OB ATIQN OI NEW YORK m rnnz'rme moms imam m November 21, 1928. Serial amazon.

This invention relates to film printers and more particularly to mechanism for cont1nuously printing upon a sensitized blank film, pictures from a printed negative film and concurrently, soun producin characters a r nted negatlve sound 1m.

litherto, so far as known, combined movfrom ing picture and sound films have been printed by separate successive runs of the film through the printer entailing considerableloss of time and also incurring possiblht es of incorrect registration.

It is therefore an object to avoid these disadvantages byproviding a printing mechanism that will, at one and the same operation, produce both the picture and sound records, the sound record relative to each picture being imprinted adj acently after the picture position in accordance with the difference in speed of light and sound. A further feature resides-sm thsprovision of means for synchronizing a ne ative ic ture film with a negative sound if each may be printed upon a sensitized blank i or positive simultaneously, but at difi'erent time intervals thereon. l

These and other. purposes, includi the hereinafter described and illustrate rial part of this disclosure,' and in 'Wliitlifi Figure 1 is a side elevational view of anprinter showing the paths of the several films. 3 y p Figure 2 is a perspective view of the main operative portions of the embodiment of the film same and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the up er feed sprockets and sound printin cylin er,

owerred Figure 4 is a similar view of the sprockets. v

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a film bearing the sound imprint.

lvided with a setting lever 12, anda bracket 13 extending above the dial to support a. hori-' .zontal telescopic funnel 14.

A lamp housing 15. is mounted adjustably Q-on rods'lfiextending rearwardly from the of this invention bracket, above the axis of the dial 11, the housmg having direct communication with the funnel 14,"whic'h has at its front end an adapter ring 17 receptive of a hollow rectangular throat 18 The outer portion of the l8 is provi ded with upper and lower flanges to em gage a transverse printing cylinder-.19, havw provided witharemovable cover at HIS s1de.- I 1 ing an opening20 near one. end for*lightsto pass through and provided at its ends-with sprockets 22-22 carried by. a=.spindle'23 I ournalled gin-a "plate bracket extending outw'ardlylto the'iront' fromthe iraine 10 and p driven intheiu'sualflmanner, not shown. I

. development ofan essentially sim le,e cient and practical device, are attained. y the novel construction and combination of arts as inthe accompanying drawings, forming a, mate- Alsofiired'to thejspindle 23 are another pair of sprockets :T24Q-24f the sprockets 22" and 24 being-closelyside by'side. i

A post 26, reaching'up from the frame 10,

carries at:itsmpperfend-ahorizontal bar; 27.

on which areimoun d,-in' spaced relatiomfla ed negative ,picture i andfprinted negative sound films P,-' N-and,S ',;-all"being held at a considerable distance above'the center of the machine. Y Another horizontal bar 33, exam ing from theframe 10, at a point below the 'center of the machine is provided with a I pend t arm 34, and mounted on the bar and arm are asecond'series of reels --36-j37 "arranged to be driven by means not shown sprockets 48-48,

and on which the several films are wound after exposure.

The blank positive film P, as uncoiled from the reel 28, is passed through a cleaner 38 carried on an arm depending from the bar 27, adjacent a guide roll 39 at the left hand side of the machine, and under another roll 40 mounted on the free end of a printing gate 41, pivoted at 42 to the bracket 25 and ada ted to cause the film to engage the teeth of the sprockets 2424.

Continuing, the film P passes under a guide roll 43, over a roll 44, across the light aperture 45 in a light control cylinder 46, the same being part of the machine and thence under a guide roll 47 adjacent a pair of fixed on a spindle 49 mounted in the bracket 25, all these several elements being in a plane at the left hand side of the machine, as best seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

Thereafter, the film P, upon leaving the lower pair of sprockets 48-48 is directed upwardly and offset edgewise, forming a loose-bight or loop, the opposite portion of which is directed to pas under a roll 50 in axial registration with the roll 39, and a similar roll 51, in axial registration with the roll 40, and like it, mounted in the pivoted printing gate 41.

These rolls direct the film P upon the teeth of the upper sprockets 22-22, causing the film to pass in front of the light aperture 20 in the light control cylinder 19, the film continuing over a guide roll 52,- in axial register with the roll 44, thence over a roll 53 carried at the end of an arm fixed on the end of the cylinder 46.

From the roll 53 the film passes under a guide roll 54, and also a roll 55 in axial alignment with the roll 47, both of which are carried on the free end of a printing gate 56, pivoted at 57 on the bracket 25 and causing the film P to engage the teeth of sprockets 58-58 fixed on the driven spindle 49, and from whence the film is delivered to the takeup reel 36.

The negative picture film N moves directly from the reel 29 under the guide roll 39 to contact the film P, as both pass together under the printing gate roll 40 and engage the sprockets 24-24' The film N is then directed under a guide roll 59 and over a roll 60, thence downwardly over the light aperture 45, at which point the pictures borne by the film N are imprinted upon the blank P, both films moving in juxtaposition under the roll 47 and over the sproc ets 48-48, the film N being coiled upon the reel 35 asthe film P is directed upwardly as has been described.

It is to be noted that the film N is main tained throughout its course on the left side.

of the machine at all times.

The sound stripe bearing film S passes ing reels for a blank from the reel 30 through a tensioning device having rolls 61-61, carried by an arm adjustably clamped upon the post 26, the film S coming in contact with the blank film P at a point below the roll 50, and continuing with it under the roll 51, to engage the sprockets 22-22, and, at the light aperture 20, in the cylinder 19, imprint its sound stripe upon the blank P which, as previously described, has already received the picture imprints as it passed downwardly.

Thereafter the film S is directed over a roll 63 in axial registration with the roll 60, thence over the roll 53, under a roll 64, and then together with the film P pass under the roll 55 and over the sprockets 58- 58 to be coiled upon the reel 37.. '7

The sound film S will be seen to move in a plane parallel to that of the film N, but to the right thereof so that no confliction occurs, while the blank film P moves first with the film N at the left and thereafter with the film S at the right.

Obviously the negative films intervene thepositive throughouttheir runs at the several rolls and printing points.

It is to be understood that the continuous film printing machine illustrated is merely conventional and that the invention resides in the attachments and method of use'which include an auxiliary lighting means for the sound record, the disposition of more than the usual numbers of reels, arrangements of double guide rolls, looping and angular transposition of. the positive film, and other novel features as herein set forth.

Although the improvements have been described with considerable detail andwith respect to certain particular forms of the invention, it is not desired to be limited to such details since many changes and modifications may well be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspect.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is 1- 1. In photo film printingapparatus, the combination with afilm printer for imprinting a picture bearing negative film upon a sensitized blank film, of an auxiliary printer above and to one side of the first printer to imprint a sound negative film upon the blank film at a point remote from the point of the picture printing, guide rolls for each film, and means to shift said blank film edgewise during the interval between the printings.

2. In a photo film printing apparatus. havpositive film, a printed negative film and a sound negative film, means in said apparatus for printing both of said negative films upon the positive simulta-' neously and at different intervals therealong, means for registering said blank with the printed negative, and means for looping, raiseach film into registration with the printing points, said blank positive passing the first named printing point in coupled relation with the picture negative and independently with the sound negative for spacing the coupled films at such point/ 4. Inphoto film to imprint a picture carrying negative upon a driven sprockets to engage the films, of a see: I v

the first means including'a pair of sprockets,

' sound [negative blank positive, sa d means including a pair of 0nd printingmeans entirely independent of a second pair ofspr'ockets in axial alignment with the first pair, means I sound printing means receivingthe p film, and a blank film,

the picture for training the soundnegative' and blank positive over the first pair of sprockets, and means for training the picture negative and blank positive'over the second pair ofsprockets.

5. In photo film=printing apparatus, the combination with a film printer having means to imprint a picture negative upon a blank, of an independent auxiliary print a sound negative upon the same blank, means including'two pairs of film sprockets in axial registration to direct the films past their respective printing points, and means for shifting certain of said films from one pair of said sprockets to the other. a

6. In a film printing apparatus, delivering and receiving reels for a sound film, a picture film. and a blank film, means for imprinting the picture film on the blank film at one definite point and means for carrying the blank ceiving the picture imprint upwardly above the horizontal plane of the picture printing means and to one side thereof, and means for directing the blank in juxtaposition with the sound film, both being offset from the picture film.

7. In a film printing apparatus,delivering a sound film, a picture y;

and receiving reels for means for imprinting film on the blank fil m: at-pne contacting the p printing point laterally ofiset' from the, p c ture printing print;

8. A film printing device comprising means for coupling a picture negative with a blank 1 positive film, means for printing said picture negative on said film. means for printing a sound negative on said film and means for subsequent to the first registration. photo film printing apparatus the p i f with said gui printing apparatus, the 1 combination with a film printer having means 'superposition fwith {said at said secondfprinting means.

1O. film contact printin prising a 'sound printer to 7 implane in their travel, film after re ing said sound' -negativ film downwardly past the .p 1

i relationship at tive, means for guiding a blank positive film and a first negative into superposition, means said first negative upon said for printing film, a second printing means blank positive in axial registration with said guiding means but laterally off-set therefrom, means for returning said ingfimeans into printing rel'a tion with said second printing meanmtand means for directing a second negativo vinto printing evice, a picture guide means for causing film combined with a blank positive film and a picture negative film com ined with said blank positive film to travel printing device,

in substantial juxtaposition past their respective printing devices, guide means for passing said blank positive film into superposition with said picture negativefilmand with said sound negative film whereby a com,-

vbined sound and picture impression is made on said blank positive difi'erent points. i 7

11.- In a film printing device, means for guiding a blank positive and picture vnega tive in aligned superposition through a limited path, means film simultaneously at (positives-film" in juxtaposition I for printing said picture negative upon said blank positive during said blank positiveffilm ff,

apparatus "comd aligned superposition, means for separating l the picture printed positivefron said negative, means for guiding" said separated positive over asecond patlrlparallel to. and later -ally oil-set from a'portion of said limited path, means 1 for guiding a sound. negative into supeflpositiOnwith said separated posion said picture i tive in said second path and means for printrinted positive I '12. "In a" motion picturefilm printing-ma chine,for printingpicture's and a sound track qonto a;

ositive; combination, a printing station liaving laterally ofiset non-printing guide means cooperating therewith, a second printing station having laterally ofiset-nonmeans forfprogressing a positive and negameans and then into printing relation with the secondrprinting station, and means for then guiding the same positive into printing the first printing station with a second negative, and means for then guiding said positive and second negative over the second non-printing guide means.

13. A film printing device comprising means for coupling a picture negative with printing" guide. eans cooperating therewith, ;1 1 I 20 a blank positive, means for coupling a sound negative with said blank positive, means comprising a printing station for printing one negative upon said positive and means in axial registration for guiding the other negative and said positive adjacent said printing means, means comprising another printing station for printing the other negative upon said positive and havin associated therewith means for guiding t e first negative in coupled relationship past said second printin means but laterally offset therefrom.

in testimony whereof We have hereunto affixed our signatures.

ASHER FLINT.

AUGUST ZIMMERMAN.

JACK G. LEO. 

